Susan Hampshire at 89: Forsyte Saga Return and Life Now

There aren’t many actresses who can say they played a character in the 1960s and then came back to the same story nearly six decades later. Susan Hampshire, now 89, has done exactly that — returning to the world of the Forsytes in a brand-new prequel that airs in 2026.

Age: 89 (as of 2025) · Emmy Awards: 3 · Nationality: English · Notable Role: Fleur Mont in The Forsyte Saga · Born: 12 May 1937

Six key facts about Susan Hampshire, one pattern: a life split between award-winning performance and private devotion to family.

Here is a snapshot of her biographical details.

What is Susan Hampshire doing now?

Return to The Forsyte Saga

• Susan Hampshire returns to the Forsyte story in the prequel The Forsytes, playing dowager Lady Carteret PBS Masterpiece (the U.S. public broadcaster).
• PBS Masterpiece announced that all six episodes of The Forsytes premiere on Sunday, March 22, 2026, with a weekly broadcast at 9/8c TV Insider (entertainment news outlet).
• Hampshire’s 1967 role in The Forsyte Saga was a huge moment in her career; the new series brings her back nearly 60 years later YouTube / MASTERPIECE Studio Podcast.

Caregiving and personal life

• Hampshire stepped away from acting for many years to care for her husband, Sir Eddie Kulukundis, who had Alzheimer’s disease PBS Masterpiece.
• She has spoken openly about the challenges of caregiving and her own dyslexia The Oldie (British magazine).

Public appearances and health

• At 89, Hampshire says she no longer feels comfortable going out once The Oldie.
• Despite that, she continues to engage with the public through interviews and the new Forsyte project.

The pattern: Hampshire’s current life is a quiet one by choice, but the new series proves she’s still very much part of the story.

Is Susan Hampshire still married?

Who is Susan Hampshire’s husband?

• She was married to Sir Eddie Kulukundis, a Greek-British shipping magnate and theatre producer, from 1981 until his death in 2021 Wikipedia.
• Kulukundis was a prominent figure in London theatre, and the couple shared a deep bond.

How long has she been married?

• The marriage lasted 40 years, ending with Kulukundis’ death at age 89.

Her caregiving role

• Hampshire devoted herself to caring for her husband after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, stepping away from her acting career PBS Masterpiece.
• She has described caregiving as both a duty and a labour of love.

The trade-off was stark: a decade of screen time for personal devotion.

What is Susan Hampshire’s nationality?

Where was she born?

• Susan Hampshire was born in Kensington, London, England on 12 May 1937 Wikipedia.
• She grew up in a middle-class English household and attended local schools.

English or British?

• She is an English actress by nationality, though she is also referred to as British in international contexts.
• Her entire career has been rooted in British television and theatre.

What is Susan Hampshire’s most notable role?

Fleur Mont in The Forsyte Saga

• Hampshire is best known for playing Fleur Mont in the 1967 BBC adaptation of The Forsyte Saga TV Insider.
• The role made her a household name in Britain and earned her the first of three Emmy Awards.

Three Emmy Awards

• She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for The Forsyte Saga (1970), The First Churchills (1971), and Vanity Fair (1975) TV Insider.
• Only a handful of performers have won three Emmys in that category.

Other notable roles

• She also starred in The First Churchills (as Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough) and Vanity Fair (as Becky Sharp).
• Other credits include The Pallisers, Barchester Chronicles, and guest appearances on Doctor Who.

How much of The Forsyte Saga is true?

The novels vs. history

• The Forsyte Saga is a fictional work based on John Galsworthy’s novels, not a historical account Wikipedia.
• The story is set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and depicts the lives of an upper-middle-class English family, but the characters are not real historical figures.

Accuracy of the adaptation

• The PBS Masterpiece adaptation stays true to the novels PBS Masterpiece.
• Hampshire’s new role as Lady Carteret is a character created for the prequel, drawing from Galsworthy’s extended Forsyte universe.

The real Forsytes

• The Forsyte family itself is entirely fictional, though Galsworthy based some traits on his own family background.
• The series captures the social attitudes and legal realities of the time (property rights, divorce laws) but does not depict specific real events.

Timeline signal

Clarity section

Confirmed facts

• Age 89 (born 12 May 1937) Wikipedia
• Married to Sir Eddie Kulukundis (1981–2021) Wikipedia
• Mother of two (Christopher and Charlotte)
• Three Emmy Awards (1970, 1971, 1975) TV Insider
• Returned to new Forsyte adaptation as Lady Carteret PBS Masterpiece
• Openly dyslexic

What’s unclear

• Exact reason for discomfort going out (not publicly specified beyond age and health)
• Net worth (no reliable public source)
• Details of new adaptation’s plot or the full extent of her role

Quotes

“I don’t go out once now. At my age, I find it too much.”
— Susan Hampshire, acceptance speech for The Oldie of the Year 2025 The Oldie

“It’s wonderful to be back in the Forsyte world. Lady Carteret is a character with real steel — I love that.”
— Susan Hampshire, Masterpiece Studio podcast PBS Masterpiece

“Susan Hampshire’s return is a gift to the audience. She brings decades of craft to a role that feels both new and rooted in the saga’s history.”
— Host of Masterpiece Studio podcast, introducing the episode YouTube / MASTERPIECE Studio Podcast

For fans who grew up watching the original 1967 broadcast, the implication is clear: Hampshire’s return is not a stunt but a continuation of a story that has genuinely spanned generations. For younger viewers, it’s an introduction to one of British television’s most decorated performers.

Her return to television comes decades after she first appeared as Fleur Forsyte in the original 1967 cast.

Frequently asked questions

For fans of classic British drama, the takeaway is simple: Susan Hampshire’s return to the Forsyte story is both a homecoming and a final chapter. Watch the new series with the knowledge that you’re seeing a living link to television history — or risk missing one of the most quietly remarkable comebacks of the decade.